Presenters & Disclosures

Parkinson Voice Project’s speech therapy program is based on the teachings of our friend and mentor, the late Daniel R. Boone, who recognized in the1950s that individuals with Parkinson’s could significantly improve their communication if they converted speech from an automatic function to an intentional act. 

Dr. Boone was Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona and former President of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), holding both Fellowship and Honors of the organization. Since the first publication of his textbook. The Voice and Voice Therapy in 1971, he was primarily identified by his writings in voice disorders and their remediation, authoring15 professional books, several book chapters and monographs, and over 100 refereed journal publications. Dr. Boone passed away in 2018, leaving Parkinson Voice Project a video series of valuable clinical lessons that we are honored to feature in our online SPEAK OUT! & LOUD Crowd training course. 

As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Parkinson Voice Project, Samantha Elandary has dedicated her career to preserving the voices of individuals with Parkinson’s disease and related neurological conditions. She has specialized in the evaluation and treatment of communication disorders associated with Parkinsonism for over twenty years and has a gift for educating patients, families, and healthcare professionals about the condition. Elandary believes that clinicians need the appropriate clinical skills and compassion to provide quality treatment, but that they must also adhere to business practices that promote cost effectiveness and efficiency. Under her leadership, Parkinson Voice Project developed an effective two-part therapy approach to treating Parkinson’s: SPEAK OUT! followed by The LOUD Crowd. 

Since 2008. Parkinson Voice Project has successfully provided all of its therapy services through donations and the “Pay It Forward” concept. With this unique funding model. no patient has ever been denied treatment due to insurance or financial limitations. 

Jennifer Cody has specialized in the treatment of Parkinson’s-related speech disorders for most of her career as a speech-language pathologist and has worked with Parkinson Voice Project since 2009. She received her BA in anthropology from the University of Oklahoma and her MS in communication disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas. Jennifer is an important member of the clinical team that specializes in helping people with Parkinson’s regain and maintain their ability to speak through SPEAK OUT! and The LOUD Crowd. She has presented posters and oral sessions at the annual conferences of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association about deep brain stimulation, neurogenic stuttering in Parkinson’s disease. and the implementation of group maintenance therapy for people with Parkinson’s. She was an invited speaker at the World Parkinson Congress in Kyoto in June 2019.